Backlash over ‘fake tears’ remarks as Tehran holds massive funeral of late supreme leader

Millions of black-clad mourners flocked into Tehran in a procession as part of the funeral of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei on July 6, but controversial remarks by United States President Donald Trump sparked a fierce backlash, threatening his fragile pledge of restraint amid high tensions.

A truck carrying Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin moved slowly through dense crowds in what officials called the largest public gathering in the country’s modern history. The 12-hour procession transported the coffin through the streets en route to Mehrabad International Airport.

Trump told the Axios news website on July 5 that US-Iran talks have been suspended for one week to accommodate Iran’s mourning.

However, Trump also said Washington could “wipe out” Iran’s leadership with “one shot” while senior Iranian figures had gathered for the funeral. “But we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with,” he said.

He also expressed surprise at seeing Iranian mourners weep during the ceremonies, saying, “Maybe it’s fake tears,” Axios reported.

Iran’s embassy in Armenia immediately reacted to Trump’s remarks in a post on X: “You don’t understand these things because you have neither civilization, nor history, nor honor.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued fresh threats amid Tehran’s ongoing rituals, vowing to “eliminate” any Iranian leader seeking action against Israel, Israel’s Channel 13 reported.

Earlier, Katz said Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba, was “marked for death”, spurring an angry protest from Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Trump “has committed the US to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv”, adding, “Any threat against our people and leadership will receive an immediate, powerful response.”

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf earlier said Iran remains deeply at odds with the US despite the recent memorandum of understanding, describing the implementation as “difficult, but possible”.

As mourning ceremonies unfolded, growing numbers of attendees vowed to avenge Khamenei’s death. Khamenei and several of his family members were killed on Feb 28 in the opening US-Israeli airstrikes.

Tasnim News Agency, citing a senior source, said 13 countries have either canceled or downgraded their funeral attendance amid US diplomatic pressure.

Throughout the conflict, Iran has targeted US military bases across the region, pressured host nations, and retained effective maritime control over the Strait of Hormuz. The resulting global energy price spikes prompted Trump to accelerate diplomatic efforts for de-escalation.

However, tensions spiked again in the past few days as the two sides exchanged fresh strikes after accusing each other of violating the ceasefire deal. The US Central Command said in a post on X early on July 8 that its forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, “hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

Later in the day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and army said in separate statements that their forces hit US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for the strikes.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara on July 8, Trump said he believes that the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran is “over,” but said that negotiations between the US and Iran will continue.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn